Penny’s practice focuses on corporate/commercial and employment law.
She advises employers in all areas of human resources and employment law, assisting clients with issues related to recruiting, hiring, executive compensation, discipline, individual and mass terminations, wrongful dismissal, restrictive covenants, workplace investigations, human rights, and occupational health and safety. Penny also has extensive experience drafting a wide variety of employment documents and resource materials, including employment contracts (management, non-management and executive), employment policies, employee handbooks, termination and release agreements, and cross-Canada employment standards reviews. In addition, she advises employers on the implication of their significant corporate transactions, including mergers and acquisitions, reorganizations and restructurings. Penny has worked with clients in a wide variety of industries and contexts, including pension funds, financial services, private equity, service, retail and others.
Further, with years of experience as in-house counsel, Penny supports clients on commercial matters, regularly reviewing, drafting and negotiating all forms of commercial agreements, including non-disclosure agreements, agreements for sales, procurement and commercial leases.
2014 | Lexpert Zenith Award |
Before joining Torys, Penny spent over 13 years in-house at a major Canadian telecommunications company primarily practicing corporate, commercial, and employment law, and also providing counsel for matters related to pensions and benefits, executive compensation, privacy, commercial and customer dispute resolution, trademarks, commercial real estate, corporate governance and telecom regulation.
During her years as in-house counsel, Penny was actively involved with the Canadian Corporate Counsel Association, serving as a member of the National Executive Committee, Chair of the Value, Profile and Influence Committee, member of the National Certification Committee, and as Chair of the Nova Scotia Chapter.
Penny is also a contributing author to the Federal Chapter of the Cross Canada Guide to Human Rights Law in Employment published by Carswell in September 2013.
Penny is a member of the Canadian Corporate Counsel Association and the Canadian Association of Counsel to Employers (CACE).